...because I kinda feel like I should have. The description was only 'Omega watch' and these 3 photos. It was offered online by a local auction house, as one of the lots from an estate.
I stumbled on it precisely 4 minutes before the end, and in that time still had to register for the site and do my due diligence. When I was done, there were literally 7 seconds left on the clock.
I hesitated, and didn't bid.
To my n00b eyes, it's some sort of CK 2998. It ended up going for €4700 excluding auction costs and VAT. Including these costs, it was some €5890, which converts to $6340 USD.
Did someone just get a steal, or did I narrowly escape from a money pit?
In my opinion, with the current 'madness' going on - the watch was a 'steal' at the auction selling price.
Agreed - it only takes two bidders keen to own it - and it could have trebled or quadrupled in price.
But at that cost - it's a no brainer.
How does €4700 hammer only cost $6340 USD all in? Seems like it would be higher, unless this auction house has lower fees than most. I compute:
€4700 hammer + 24% commission (presumed) + 21% Dutch VAT *1.08 euro/usd=
$7616 USD
Am I missing something?
Can you give me a link from the other forum?
I really thought I was the only person that was in the running for this one 😁
I thought nobody find this one on the internet because the auction said : Omega watch.
For me it is also a gamble, but I did it because the owner was that old and I hope it has no service parts.
Sure, here you go: http://www.horlogeforum.nl/t/nu-te-volgen-veiling-vintage-speedmaster-ck-2998/102771/62
Just one of the forum members there was bidding also (with a very low maximum bid). He shared the auction once he was outbid. Most of them are simply annoyed that they didn't find the auction in time ;-)
So I guess my hesitation ended up saving you a lot of money. I'll mail you my bank account information.
Just kidding, of course. Congrats on a great buy! Did you inspect it beforehand? May I ask what your maximum bid would have been?
So I was almost sure the hands and other parts are never serviced, fingers crossed👍
the minimum next bid was 6500 excluding costs, I want to go to a maximum of 10 000euro all included.
Because this is the second watch I buy this week🤪
Well played sir! In that case, @ConElPueblo was correct. I would not have dared to top a €10,000 bid without actually seeing it. So would have gone to you anyway, and all I would have done is make it more expensive for you. Once again, fortune favored the prepared.
As for your questions: 'relume' means that the luminous material on the markers (radium, tritium or luminova) has been repaired/repainted at some point. Because of the greenish color in the auction pics, some suspected that this was the case. Seeing the new pictures above, I actually believe it is still all original.
If I were you, I would seek out a competent watchmaker who services the movement and maybe replaces the crystal (although if it isn't cracked, the scratches can polish right out), put it on a nice leather strap, and that's about it. Maybe the crown or pushers need to be replaced, but that's generally seen as OK (especially if he gives you the original parts back).
Under no circumstances let him polish the case or change the dial, hands or bezel. Some people would repair the hole in the minute hand (which is simply luminous material that fell out of the hand) with color-matched lume, but personally I'd leave it alone.
Please do not (ever) send it to Omega for a service: they will ruin your watch with new parts. If you live in the Northereast of Belgium, I can recommend Ferrie Schweitzer in Heerlen (The Netherlands). He's not officially certified anymore, but he specialises in vintage omega, has 30+ years of experience working at Omega, and has a huge supply of parts. Perhaps most importantly, he's skilled and understands the value that collectors place on originality.
I might take you up on your offer for a beer someday...and the very least, we'd really love to see before and after pictures of your prize ;-)
I'm not saying it's definitely been relumed. However, from the few low quality pictures, I might have been.
Post some better pics when you have the watch in your hand and we'll be able to give you a better opinion.
As a general rule, I never ever ever bid on a watch like this without seeing the movement. The bidder was bold, and I truly hope all is good inside. But like others have said, the parts alone would probably add up.
A majority of the watches in my collection, and I would say 90% of those I have bought over the years, I never saw the movement before buying.
